Gone
by nine-orcids
Summary: The last moments of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato... ONESHOT


_I don't own Naruto…T-T_

"Lord Hokage did it! He defeated the Kyuubi!" some one yelled as the fox that had been terrorizing the village vanished. Cheers erupted from the gathered shinobi that had previously been fighting.

It had been a fierce battle with the demon. Many shinobi had died, and many more were wounded. There was a lot of damage to the village and areas surrounding it were the battle took place. It had been a long battle and those who had fought were all tired. They had all fought hard, and were happy the fox was finally gone.

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The Hokage Tower, one of the few buildings left untouched, was currently silent excepted for an infant's cries. The newborn lay naked on a white cloth surrounded by 5lit candles. A seal glowed on his stomach. Whisker like marks were beginning to appear on his face. What many didn't know was that they were seals, small and so close together that to anyone but a seal master they would look like solid lines. The blonde child was crying. Pain like that he never experience had just passed over him as the Kyuubi was sealed in his stomach. The yondaime stood over him. He had only an hour before the shinigami returned to take his soul. Slowly bending down, he picked up the crying child. Wrapping him in the cloth he lay on, he began to sooth him, gently rocking him and whispering comforting words. Soon the child was asleep. The tired man smiled down at the baby and left the room were the sealing took place.

As he began to walk down the hall, he was forced to stop. An ANBU captain, the Sandaime, Sarutobi, and his old sensei, Jiraiya stood in front of him. "Minato, you're alive!" Sarutobi exclaimed, amazement and happiness in his voice. The blonde looked down at his son, and shook his head with a sad smile on his face. "I only have a little time. I was able to convince the shinigami to give me an hour before he came." Looking toward his predecessor, he said, "Looks like you'll have to come out of retirement old man!"

The baby he held woke up and began to cry, causing the other three men to look toward him. Minato knew his time was almost up. He could feel his strength fading. He gently began to rock the child again.

"If you don't mind," he said, addressing the three men in front of him while looking at his son, "Can I have a little time with my son?" They all nodded, leaving him alone. Knowing it was almost time, he began talking to his son, walking slowly toward his office.

"You won't remember me. The villagers won't follow my last request, they won't understand. You'll be treated like an outcast, and you'll be alone. I'm sorry I had to do this to you, and I hope one day you'll understand. I'll understand if you hate me. But it was the only thing I could do," he said to his son, gently kissing his forehead.

Tears came to his eyes as he reached the office. The three men, Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and the ANBU captain were all standing around his desk. "Well gaki, now what?" Jiraiya asked. Minato, who could feel the shinigami hand on his shoulder, knew it was time to go. He kissed his son's forehead again, whispered a quiet I love you, and handed him to Sarutobi, who took him without question. Minato gestured toward a box on his desk. "Give this to him when he's 16 or when he becomes a Jonnin. Tell him of his heritage then. Until then, his name is Uzumaki Naruto."

It was time. The hour was up. He felt what was left of his strength leave him, and he fell. "Sensei!" the ANBU yelled, taking off his Hound painted mask to reveal a young teen with gravity defying silver hair. His left eye was covered by his hitai-ate and the rest of his face was covered by a cloth mask. The only part of his face not covered, his right eye, showed he was worried.

Jiraiya bent next to him, pulling him into his arms. "Sensei," the blonde man said weakly, "Please look after him." The tall white haired man nodded, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Minato turned toward Sarutobi, who stood over him holding his sleeping son, and Kakashi, who was crouched next to him. There were tears in Kakashi's eyes. Minato had been like a father to him ever since his own had committed suicide.

"Look after him please," he said weakly, "don't let him be alone." They all nodded. "Tell the villagers know he's a hero." he said faintly, looking toward his son. Slowly, the light faded from the young Hokage's eyes. He went limp, dieing in Jiraiya's arms.

The Toad Sannin looked at the body of his student, the man he considered his son, that he held in his arms. The tears he had held back began to flow over the red tattoos that rested around his eyes. He gently hugged the 4th's body, and laid it down. All three men continued to look at the empty shell. He was gone.

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Wow, that was shorter than I thought it would be… I've read a couple of fics of how the 4

_th__ died and decided to give it a try… it kinda sucked… if you saw anything that was misspelled please let me know and I'll try and fix it. Please review/flame. Feedback is always welcome!ye_

_Bye!_


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